The Gathering Place

These days I'm devoid of a working camera. Oh, I do have a new digital camera that has me totally frustrated. First, it refused to upload my pictures to my PC. Then, recently it refuses to turn on altogether. I have charged the batteries, but its still not working when I turn it on. I'm hoping the problem will be solved soon, meanwhile I've decided to write about, The Gathering Place. Just words, with no pictures. But if you use your imagination, you'll have a nice picture of, The Gathering Place.

Most people that frequent The Gathering Place, are referred to as "the oldies," or "the senior citizens," or even "the elderly." They call themselves "the young at heart." .

I live about ten miles out of a little town of just under 2,000 residents. There are only a couple of restaurants here, a couple of fast food places, and a sandwich place.

Usually, McDonald's is a gathering place for younger people. Families with kids who come for the Happy Meals. Teenagers as well, but they are more likely to order at the drive up window from their cars, and drive off with their burgers and shakes, with loud music blasting from their cars or pickup trucks, enjoying their kind of fun.

But the "young at heart" of this area frequent our local McDonald's regularly. Some are there every day. Well, except Sundays. That is the day for going to church, and for family dinners, or nice restaurants with big buffet's 40 miles away in a big city of 15,000!

So on any given weekday, The Gathering Place is filled to capacity, and laughter and talk of the "good old days," and discussions of the dry weather, and turnip crops that may yield a poor harvest, just as the summer crops had, abound. Or even discussions of who should or should not be our next president in 2008!. And I must not leave out the grandchildren! Everyone has a picture or two to show, and a sweet story to tell about them.

The Gathering Place is not a quiet place. It's filled with happy noises coming from happy people, who enjoy companionship, coupled with pancakes and coffee, while the young people who work there smile at them, and go around and ask if anyone would like another cup of coffee. Seniors rate high at The Gathering Place, and they in turn seem to agree that it's the place with the best coffee in town.